As UM celebrates its 175th anniversary, it is important to acknowledge the chancellors that have contributed to the success of the university. Over the years, many chancellors have made a significant impact on the university by forming meaningful connections with students.
“Any chancellor who is going to succeed is going to have to realize that they’re going to have to deal with faculty, they’re going to have to deal with their individual boards, they’re going to have to deal with alumni – but the focus of their leadership has to be the good of the students on campus,” retired Dean of Students Sparky Reardon said.
Chancellor Gerald Turner served the university from 1984 to 1995. As one of the youngest chancellors in UM history, Turner made several contributions to Ole Miss. His most notable accomplishment was his fundraising campaigns, which accumulated $25 million for academics.
“I’ve seen (the university) progress in a number of ways,” Turner said. “We started the fundraising aspect of it. Now, you look at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. It hadn’t had any improvements in it when we built the first press box that had suites in it. We went all over for that, but the progress of the campus, thankfully, continues to be beautiful.”
Robert Khayat, chancellor from 1995 to 2009, is best remembered for the way he connected with students and other members of his community outside of the office.
“(Khayat) was well known and knew many of the students. He would walk on campus every morning and students who wanted to join him could,” Reardon said. “I used to join him to go to lunch. Sometimes we’d walk across campus, and it would take us 20 minutes to get from the Lyceum to the cafeteria because he would stop and talk to students or pick up the (student) paper. He embodies the spirit of Ole Miss.”
In addition to his popularity among students, Khayat improved the university greatly. Several aspects of university life that are beloved by students today can be attributed to Khayat’s work as chancellor.
“He started so many things. (Paris-Yates Chapel) was built under him. The campus was just beautiful,” Reardon said. “If you can imagine, the quad between the chapel and the library was the ugliest parking lot, and now it is just absolutely beautiful. The Creed was developed under him, the (2008) presidential debate happened under him, as did the university memorial service, the founding of the (Sally McDonnell Barksdale) honors college and the Croft Institute.”
Khayat’s approachability, along with his notable achievements, make him a unique part of UM history.
“When the history is written at the university, his chancellorship is tantamount to moving it forward. He was a great chancellor,” Reardon said.
After Khayat, Daniel W. Jones served as chancellor from 2009 to 2015. Donations to the university reached record highs during his tenure, and he now conducts research on obesity with the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
Chancellor Jeffrey S. Vitter led the university from 2016 to 2019. Vitter took strides to make the university more inclusive for all students. By having open communication with students and faculty, Vitter was able to hear direct feedback from those who wanted to share ways to improve the university.
“When I was chancellor, we began a contextualization process. We opened it up and got suggestions from everyone who wanted to send them,” Vitter said. “We put big placards around campus, explaining why things were named the way they were. We decided that we would rename Vardaman Hall.”
Six years since the renaming efforts began, Vardaman Hall has yet to be renamed. Although Vitter could not comment on the current progress with renaming the building, he reiterated the importance of it.
“It’s an important thing so that people feel comfortable at their university, because this university is for them,” Vitter said.
The initiative to contextualize building names is just one of the ways Vitter took actions to make UM more inclusive. The integration of the university in 1962 is, according to Vitter, the most positive change the university has gone through.
“The history of the university came out of segregation. I think leading the way for the state of Mississippi to open doors and create a bright future for everyone is really the most important legacy that the university will have,” Vitter said. “It’s important to acknowledge the past.”
In addition to inclusivity, Vitter focused on opening new doors for UM to become more research focused.
Access to higher education can create freedom for students by giving them access to better paying jobs and preparing them for the world beyond college. Vitter believes that establishing UM as a successful research institution can play a key role in limiting brain drain from the state of Mississippi.
“If you want to turn around poverty and provide opportunities, education is really the key to making that kind of a permanent thing happen,” Vitter said. “To me that’s the exciting thing about higher education in general, and Ole Miss is a very special place for playing such an important role in Mississippi.”
In October 2019, current Chancellor Glenn Boyce took office and in his time as chancellor, Boyce has led the university to record numbers of student enrollment.
“I have heard that he honestly does want what is best for the students,” Campbell Holmes, a junior integrated marketing communications major, said. “I remember when we had the tragedy happen on the Square and the two students got injured in an accident with a car, and he sent an email to all the students with mental health and counseling services. It honestly made me really relieved when I saw that, because he really does care for us.”
Holmes went on to explain that she does not really know Boyce.
“I’ve only had one interaction with him two years ago, so I don’t know him, but all the things I’ve heard are positive and I think he is definitely doing a great job at his job,” Holmes said.
The Daily Mississippian attempted twice to reach Boyce for an interview, but he did not respond.
